A sustainable collaborative research dialogue between practitioners and academics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the co‐production of knowledge and dialogic relationships via the collaboration between business practitioners and academic researchers. Design/methodology/approach – The motivations, expectations, communication processes, and final performance of those engaged in collaborative management research are explored by applying a two‐pronged methodology with a content analysis and an e‐mail survey. The authors conducted a content analysis on 136 articles identified out of a total of 2,029 articles from six leading journals during 2006‐2011 which fulfilled the criteria of being coauthored by both professors and practitioners. An e‐mail survey of six open questions was given to pre‐screened authors in the first stage to investigate the in‐depth dialogue processes and stories of these collaborations. Findings – The results revealed that collaboration topics of interest focused mostly on organizational behavior, business policy, and strategy, and that theoretical inquiry and case study were the most used research methods. According to the 68 valid returned e‐mail surveys, the providing of consulting services by professors in firms plays a critical role in facilitating knowledge co‐creation between practice and knowing. The findings also highlight key factors of sustainable co‐production relationships. Originality/value – This study provides an empirical, valuable step towards an investigation into the co‐creation dialogue experiences of practitioners and academics in three dimensions: purpose, procedure, and promise.